Rebuilt section of Somersworth street opens to traffic today

SOMERSWORTH — The commute through downtown Somersworth is about to get a little smoother.

The half of Market Street that's been rebuilt over the past three months is scheduled to reopen to traffic this morning.

Utility and infrastructure work on the other half of the road — the section where cars have traveled since the work began — also will begin today, according to Carol Murray, the city's interim public works director.

The road opening marks a turning point for the $8 million infrastructure project that began last fall and continued in April after a winter break, she said. It also shows residents that the work is progressing.

“As this takes shape, people can start to see what the finished product will look like,” Murray said Wednesday.

The project includes replacing old water and sewer lines that run under High, Market and Main streets in the city's urban core. Once that work is complete, the roadbeds are being rebuilt and topped with a fresh coat of pavement.

Sidewalks and landscaping upgrades also are planned through a $480,000 federal grant. However, that work could be delayed due to budget uncertainty in Congress.

Severino Trucking of Candia is the lead contractor.

Other high-visibility pieces of the downtown project also are advancing.

Shawn Reynolds, of the Manchester construction management firm Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, said work on the High Street/Washington Street intersection will be finished in about two weeks.

Meanwhile, a section of High Street between Market Street and Constitution Way also has been rebuilt and paved. All told, about half of the utility upgrades have been finished.

“It's the end of phase one,” he said of the project. “There are four phases, but phase one and phase two are the biggest.”

The second phase includes utility and pavement upgrades to the other half of Market Street and continued progress up the hill on High Street. Crews are expected to begin grinding the pavement on Market Street today with a piece of heavy-duty equipment.

The entire project, which is on budget, is projected to finish in November.

City Councilor Sean Collins said he's pleased with how the work is moving, despite the inconveniences. Major infrastructure issues remain, but he said this project is an important starting point.

“We have to do the best we can, but I think this is a huge step forward,” he said.

Many downtown residents and businesses have battled detours, water shutoffs and other problems since the project began in April. There have been few water-related issues since the city installed a temporary water line, but customers are still having a hard time navigating around the construction.

“Everyone has been about 15 minutes late because they can't find their way around downtown,” said Debra Hendrickson, co-owner of Bangs Hair Salon on High Street.

Murray acknowledged shifting detours early in the project confused some motorists. However, she said the traffic pattern and the existing detour route likely won't change much in the coming months.

Opening the new section of Market Street, she said, also should improve the traffic flow.

“Traffic will start flowing a little better now,” Murray said, adding that the entire downtown network will now be more consistent.

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